


the night before

by bleebug



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 11:04:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10807782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleebug/pseuds/bleebug
Summary: Pre-wedding night super short ficlet. Emma has trouble sleeping. (Post 6x19, no spoilers for 6x20)





	the night before

She can’t sleep.

It’s stupid how much she’s come to rely on his warmth and the steady _thump thump_ of his heart beneath her ear to lull her into dreamland. A few years earlier, she never thought she’d ever rely on anyone for anything, and yet here she is, lying in the big bed that belongs to her and her very-soon-to-be husband, a little jittery with nerves, full of excitement, and just too restless, too wired, and too dreadfully lacking of his physical presence to even close her eyes.

Tomorrow they will be married. Freaking _married_.

“I do.” She rolls the simple words around on her tongue like she’s tasting a fine wine, repeating them aloud in various cadences. “I do. I _do._ I… do.”

She sucks in a breath.

“I, Emma… take you, Killian… to be my husband.”

It feels so strange to say. She feels like she’s being shoved into the starring role of a play, having only glanced through the script once. It’s terrifying. But also not. In a way, it’s almost a relief to know that it will be over soon.

She doesn’t like thinking of it that way; it’s not that she isn’t looking forward to it. She most certainly is. It’s her wedding day. Like, him in a tux – she thinks he’ll be in a tux – and her in the classic, regal white gown that her mother helped her pick out. Her wedding day; as in, flowers and walking down the aisle with her parents at her side.

Her wedding day. The day she marries the man she loves oh so much, who loves her back. The day they become husband and wife.

She dabs at the corners of her eyes. God, if she’s already tearing up just at the thought of it, how the hell is she going to keep it together tomorrow?

No. Wait. _Today_ , she amends, as she glances at the alarm clock on their bedside table. It reads 12:09am. She’s getting married _today_.

And she still hasn’t had a freaking wink of sleep. She’s going to be getting married with dark circles under her eyes.

“Damn it, Killian.” She mutters it to herself, but then comes to the conclusion that if she can’t sleep, she certainly won’t let him sleep either. She reaches for her phone.

**E: I can’t sleep.**

She waits a minute and then frowns at his lack of response, then sends another.

**E: Killian, this is ridiculous. You should just come home.**

To her utter relief, the three little dots appear.

**K: _Can’t sleep without me?_**

**E: Don’t be cocky about it.**

**K: _I would never._**

**E: Please come home? The bed’s cold.**

**K: _Sorry, my love. No can do._**

**E: You and your dumb superstitions.**

**K: _Have a few sips of rum. There’s a bottle in my nightstand._**

**E: Ok.**

**E: Wait, when did you start hoarding rum in our bedroom?**

She rolls over to his side of the bed, smiling a little when she realizes how much his pillow smells like him and that she should have been lying on his side if she’d really wanted to sleep, and pushes open the top drawer. As promised, there’s a half-empty (surely Killian would call it half-full) bottle of rum waiting for her.

The twist top comes off easily and she sits up long enough to take two unhealthy gulps. She coughs a little afterward, then replaces the cap and shoves it back into the drawer. Her phone lights up with another message.

**K: _It’s in case of emergency, Swan._**

**E: Emergency rum…?**

**K: _How can you criticize it when you are, in fact, using it?_**

**E: Touché.**

There’s a brief pause before he replies. Emma grins at his shift in topic.

**K: _We’re getting married._**

**E: Today.**

**K: _I have never been more excited and happy about anything in my life. Ever._**

**E: Really?**

**K: _Truly._**

**K: _And it’s been a long life._**

The rum begins to settle warmly in her stomach and she can almost feel her muscles relax a little. It helps that her face is half buried in his pillow and she is surrounded by his scent. She can almost pretend that he’s here with her, his arms swung over her waist to hold her close. It’s her favorite place.

**E: I really love you.**

Her eyelids feel heavier already and she thinks that if she can finally let go and settle into sleep, she’ll dream of him.

**K: _And I love you, Emma, so much._**

**K: _Sleep and I will see you soon, just across the aisle._**

**E: Promise?**

**K: _I promise you._**

It’s probably her magic that warms the bed beneath her, that pulses a soothing rhythm into her ears, that makes her feel like she’s being held tight. But she doesn’t question it. She simply imagines that it’s him and murmurs into the night that she can’t wait to wake up.


End file.
